Objective: To describe aspects of the social context that low-income, urban African American young women articulate as having influenced social messages they received during adolescence about pregnancy timing and childbearing. Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 20 African American young women ages 18-22. Results: Findings clustered into 5 themes: first sex; getting ready and getting it over with; the path for African American girls; gender expectations: insecurity and independence; living into a future; and living in a context of instability and uncertainty. Conclusions: Findings portray a complex relationship between social context, social messages, and decisions about pregnancy timing and childbearing.